Moving to Seoul from Australia: the complete guide

Seoul lets you in with a smile and then hands you a stack of paperwork. Get the order right and the rest is fried chicken and subway rides.

The short version

Australians can visit South Korea without a visa for up to 90 days [1]. That's for tourism and short business trips, not for working or living.
Korea's electronic travel authorisation, the K-ETA, costs 10,000 won and should only be bought on the official site or app [2]. Australia has been on a temporary exemption list, which Korea has extended to the end of 2026 [3]. Check before you fly.
To live here you need a long-stay visa that matches what you'll actually do: work, study, teach or a working holiday [4].
Once you're resident, your residence card becomes the key to banking, phone plans and leases [5].
Most Aussies start in Mapo, Yongsan or Gangnam. Pick by commute, not by Instagram.

Which visa gets you to Seoul?

Your passport gets you through the airport. It doesn't get you a job, a lease or a phone contract. Korea sorts long stays into visa categories by purpose, and the Korean Visa Portal lists them that way [4].

Your plan	Visa category to look at	Who usually arranges it
Short visit, scouting trip	Visa-free entry, up to 90 days [1]	You
Working holiday, young Australians (age limits apply)	H-1 working holiday [4]	You, via the Korean embassy in Australia
Teaching English	E-2 foreign language instructor [4]	Your school or programme
Professional job with a Korean employer	Employment visa matched to the role [4]	Your employer
Study at a university or language school	Student visa [4]	Your institution
Partner of a Korean citizen	Family-based visa	You, with your partner

A few things trip people up:

Don't job hunt on a tourist entry and expect to convert in Seoul. Plan to apply for the right visa in Australia, or check carefully whether a change of status is allowed for your situation.
The working holiday has its own age band and conditions. Our guide to working holidays and teaching English in Korea covers it.
Visa questions don't go to the Australian Embassy. The Australian Embassy in Seoul says its staff can't help with visa enquiries [6]. For Korean visas, ask the Korean side: the Visa Portal, or the Foreigner Information Centre on 1345 from inside Korea [4].

The K-ETA question

Visa-exempt visitors to Korea normally need a K-ETA before departure. Korea has run a temporary exemption for a list of countries, which it has extended to 31 December 2026 [3]. Australians have been on that list, but the list changes, so check the official K-ETA site a week before you fly. If you do need one, the fee is 10,000 won, and the official portal warns about lookalike agencies charging far more for "fast" applications [2].

Your first fortnight in Seoul

Arrive with a plan and you'll be set up inside two or three weeks. Here's a sensible order.

Get a transport card on day one. T-money cards cost 3,000 to 5,000 won at convenience stores such as GS25, CU and 7-Eleven, or at subway information centres, and you top up at station machines [7]. One card covers subways and buses.
Book short-term housing for a month. A serviced studio, a share house or even a goshiwon gives you an address while you look properly. Our guide to renting in Seoul explains why you shouldn't rush a lease.
Register as a resident. If you're staying long term on a long-stay visa, you need to register with immigration and get a residence card. Korea now offers a mobile residence card too, and banks and other businesses can verify residence cards through an official service [5]. Book early, because appointment slots in Seoul fill quickly.
Open a bank account. Take your passport and residence card. Some banks will open a basic account before your card arrives, but expect limits on transfers and online banking until it does.
Sort your phone. A prepaid SIM works for the first weeks. A proper contract usually waits for your residence card and bank account.
Tell Australia you've moved. Update your bank, the ATO and your super fund with your overseas address, and enrol to vote from overseas if you're staying a while.

What to bring from Australia

Your degree and police check, authenticated. If you're teaching or working, your employer will tell you which documents need authenticating for use in Korea. Getting this done in Australia is far easier than from Seoul.
A spare passport photo set. Korean forms love them.
Prescriptions in writing. Some medicines that are routine at home are controlled in Korea. Check before you pack a three-month supply.
Enough money for a deposit. Seoul rentals want a deposit up front, and it's often bigger than an Australian bond.

Where Australians tend to live

Seoul is huge, but the subway is cheap and reliable, so your choice is mostly about vibe and commute.

Area	District	Why Aussies like it	Watch out for
Itaewon, Hannam	Yongsan	Long-standing international area with global food and embassies nearby [8]	Hilly streets, weekend crowds
Hongdae, Yeonnam, Mangwon	Mapo	Young, creative, cafés, near universities	Noise on Friday and Saturday nights
Sinchon, Ewha	Seodaemun	Student energy, cheaper food	Tiny rooms, busy streets
Gangnam, Yeoksam	Gangnam	Office jobs, newer buildings, easy commute south	Higher rents, less character
Seongsu	Seongdong	Warehouse cafés, riverside, rising fast	Prices climbing with popularity
Jamsil	Songpa	Families, parks, Lotte World, the Olympic Park	Further from the old city

Itaewon's international character goes back a long way, and the area grew around the former US Yongsan Garrison, whose US troops began moving out in 2013 [8]. It's still the easiest place to find Western groceries and English-speaking services, but plenty of Aussies now prefer Mapo for daily life and visit Itaewon for brunch.

Money, health and the boring-but-important stuff

Health cover

Arrive with travel or international health insurance. Long-term foreign residents in Korea are generally brought into the national health insurance system after a qualifying period of residence. Check the current rules for your visa with the National Health Insurance Service or 1345 before you cancel private cover.

Getting consular help

The Australian Embassy in Seoul handles passports and notarial services by appointment, Monday to Friday, and now takes payment in Australian dollars by card only, not in won [6]. Passport fees went up from 1 January 2026, so check the current fee before you book [6]. Register your travel and read the latest advice on Smartraveller before you go.

The language

You can survive in Seoul without Korean. You'll enjoy it a lot more with some. Learn Hangul before you land: it takes a weekend, and suddenly menus, bus stops and apartment listings make sense.

Common mistakes Aussies make in their first month

Signing a long lease from Australia. Photos lie. See the place and the street first.
Bringing too little cash for deposits. Plan for a deposit plus a month or two of living costs.
Using unofficial K-ETA sites. You'll pay many times the official fee for nothing [2].
Leaving document authentication to the last minute. It can add weeks to a teaching or work visa.
Expecting the embassy to fix visa problems. It can't [6]. Go to Korean immigration or 1345.

For everything else, ask people who've just done it. Join Cooee South Korea, our Facebook group for Australians in South Korea, to swap flat leads, immigration office tips and the names of English-speaking doctors.

Moving to Seoul from Australia: visas, first weeks and where to live